Based on an analysis of 436 Facebook posts trending on February 9, 2026, Miqrab AI identified several key themes and narratives dominating online discussions in Iraq. The most prominent conversations centered on widespread public criticism of government performance, particularly concerning delays in public sector salaries and the perceived disconnect between officials and citizens’ daily struggles. Economic issues were also a major focus, with significant debate surrounding new customs tariffs, which sparked protests from merchants and divided opinions online. Security and foreign policy narratives were driven by reports of arrests, a refinery explosion, and commentary on regional tensions involving Iraq, Iran, and the United States. Political maneuvering was another key topic, with discussions about a potential extension of the prime minister’s term and statements from political figures regarding Iraq’s readiness to face potential US sanctions.<\/p>\n
A significant narrative across Iraqi Facebook pages involves harsh criticism of government performance and the conduct of officials. MP Mustafa Sanad<\/a> (Post Impact: 39%)<\/strong> highlighted a 50-day delay in salary payments for Interior Ministry employees, sarcastically attributing it to “administrative procedures due to the lack of a rubber band.”<\/em> This sentiment of official neglect was echoed by Mohammad Nasser Khalif<\/a> (Post Impact: 34%)<\/strong>, who shared a video comparing a poor man who resembles the Prime Minister to the actual leader, stating, “This one cares about the poor, while that one doesn’t know about the poor.”<\/em> Meanwhile, the page Haidar Khalaf Ghazi<\/a> (Post Impact: 22%)<\/strong> expressed nostalgia for a previous leader, posting, “Oh, if only this man could become prime minister… See what has happened to us after you.”<\/em><\/p>\n The implementation of new customs tariffs and the ASYCUDA automated system has generated significant debate and criticism. Mohammad Nasser Khalif<\/a> (Post Impact: 24%)<\/strong> argued that the new taxes will primarily harm citizens, not traders, stating, “The Iraqi trader is not affected; it is the citizen who will be affected by the raising of taxes and prices.”<\/em> In a video shared by Yalla<\/a> (Post Impact: 2%)<\/strong>, a taxi driver is shown shouting at striking merchants, accusing them of price gouging. Conversely, pages like Al-Iqtisadiyyun Al-Iraqiyun (Iraqi Economists)<\/a> (Post Impact: 2%)<\/strong> defended the new system as a necessary tool to combat corruption and unify clearance procedures, while the official Al-Qasr Al-Hukoumi<\/a> (Post Impact: 3%)<\/strong> page announced the new mechanisms adopted by the General Authority of Customs.<\/p>\n A story about the arrest of individuals involved in public harassment and assault gained significant traction. The page Yalla<\/a> (Post Impact: 23%)<\/strong> shared a video featuring a victim’s family member exclaiming, “They harassed my daughter in the middle of the street and hit her brother with a pipe!”<\/em> The post reported that security forces responded to emergency calls and arrested several individuals “in the act” following two separate incidents, one related to harassment and the other a brawl. The story was also covered by Daem Al-Quwwat Al-Amniya Al-Iraqiya (Support for Iraqi Security Forces)<\/a> (Post Impact: 2%)<\/strong>, which praised the security forces for apprehending two men who harassed a girl and assaulted her brother in Baghdad.<\/p>\n Satirical content remains a popular medium for political and social commentary in Iraq. The page Al-Ghasala (The Washing Machine)<\/a> (Post Impact: 20%)<\/strong> shared a viral clip from its show with the title, “Watch the scandal of politician Ibrahim Al-Dulaimi,”<\/em> using comedy and sharp criticism to target the public figure. In a similar vein, the widely-followed Albasheer Show<\/a> (Post Impact: 16%)<\/strong> posted a segment questioning how to prevent political factions from dragging the country into a regional conflict. The post’s caption humorously asks, “How do we convince the factions not to enter a regional war?”<\/em>, highlighting the use of satire to engage with serious geopolitical issues facing Iraq.<\/p>\n Statements from Badr Organization MP Abdullah Al-Khikani regarding potential US sanctions circulated widely, sparking debate. The page Min Baghdad (From Baghdad)<\/a> (Post Impact: 16%)<\/strong> quoted the MP as saying, “Iraq is ready for the American siege like Iran, dignity is more important than anything!”<\/em> This sentiment was also reported by Salfa w Nos (A Story and a Half)<\/a> (Post Impact: 10%)<\/strong>, which shared a video clip of a Badr leader stating, “We can endure sanctions for 40 years like Iran.” Another page, Shabakat Baghdad (Baghdad Network)<\/a> (Post Impact: 1%)<\/strong>, also reported on the same statement, emphasizing the view that Iraq’s dignity is paramount.<\/p>\n The precarious geopolitical situation involving Iraq, Iran, and the United States was a topic of discussion. Al-Khaliyya Al-Tacticiyya (The Tactical Cell)<\/a> (Post Impact: 8%)<\/strong> reported that Israel has warned the United States it might launch a military campaign against Iran if diplomatic efforts to neutralize Iran’s missile capabilities fail. The page noted an Israeli fear that former President Trump might conduct a limited strike and then “declare victory,” leaving Israel to deal with the consequences. On a more reassuring note, journalist Steven Nabil<\/a> (Post Impact: 3%)<\/strong> posted, “At least for now there are no signs of a danger of war between the United States and Iran, we are doing everything in our power to avoid a catastrophe.”<\/em><\/p>\n Multiple pages reported on a deadly explosion at the Baiji refinery in Salah al-Din province. Ahmed AlHamdani<\/a> (Post Impact: 6%)<\/strong> cited sources claiming that “negligence” undermined safety conditions at the refinery, leading to an explosion in a fuel filtering unit that resulted in deaths and injuries. The page Al-Khawa Al-Nadheefa (The Clean Brotherhood)<\/a> (Post Impact: 5%)<\/strong> also covered the incident, stating that civil defense teams extinguished a fire in the gasoline improvement unit at the Salah al-Din 2 refinery. The page cited a Ministry of Oil statement that the incident occurred during routine maintenance, resulting in one worker’s death and six injuries. Akher Al-Ahdath Al-Iraqiya<\/a> (Post Impact: 1%)<\/strong> also reported on the “large explosion.”<\/p>\n Iraqi military hardware and readiness were a topic of interest for specialized pages. Al-Khaliyya Al-Tacticiyya (The Tactical Cell)<\/a> (Post Impact: 5%)<\/strong> published a detailed post about the CH-5 drone used by the Iraqi Army Aviation, describing it as a heavy multi-role platform comparable to the American MQ-9 Reaper. The post outlined its specifications, including its combat payload, operational range, and advanced sensor capabilities. In a related theme of military readiness, the Al-Abbas Combat Division<\/a> (Post Impact: 1%)<\/strong> page reported on its academy’s training program for personnel from the Al-Askari Holy Shrine, aimed at enhancing their field readiness and skills in protecting the holy sites.<\/p>\n A high-level meeting between Nouri al-Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition, and Faiq Zidan, head of the Supreme Judicial Council, was reported by several pages. Journalist Steven Nabil<\/a> (Post Impact: 3%)<\/strong> shared a photo of the meeting with the caption, “Al-Maliki visits the President of the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council.” Similarly, Hisham Ali<\/a> (Post Impact: 1%)<\/strong> posted about the visit, noting that the two discussed efforts to “complete the constitutional entitlements,” a reference to the ongoing process of government formation and political negotiations.<\/p>\n A political proposal to extend the tenure of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani’s government for an additional year is circulating on Facebook as a potential solution to the current political stalemate. The Markaz Al-I’lam Al-Iraqi (Iraqi Media Center)<\/a> (Post Impact: 2%)<\/strong> cited a source stating that the Coordination Framework is proposing a one-year extension for Sudani with “limited” powers to exit the crisis. This was echoed by Al-Adhamiya News<\/a> (Post Impact: 2%)<\/strong>, which also reported on the proposal. Meanwhile, the page Majid Saleem<\/a> (Post Impact: 2%)<\/strong> directly polled its audience, asking, “Are you in favor of extending Prime Minister Sudani’s term for one year?”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Based on an analysis of 436 Facebook posts trending on February 9, 2026, Miqrab AI identified several key themes and narratives dominating online discussions in Iraq. The most prominent conversations centered on widespread public criticism of government performance, particularly concerning delays in public sector salaries and the perceived disconnect between officials and citizens’ daily struggles. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70,73,78],"tags":[82,52,81,84],"class_list":["post-9925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-facebook","category-iraq","category-daily","tag-daily-reports","tag-iraq-daily-social-media-trends","tag-iraq-public-opinion","tag-trending-facebook"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9925"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9927,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9925\/revisions\/9927"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miqrab.ai\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}2. Debate on New Customs Tariffs Sparks Protests and Criticism<\/h2>\n
3. Arrest of Harassers in Baghdad After Public Outcry<\/h2>\n
4. Satirical Programs Address Political and Social Issues<\/h2>\n
5. Badr MP States Iraq is Ready for US Sanctions<\/h2>\n
6. Discussions on Iraq-Iran-US Regional Tensions<\/h2>\n
7. Explosion at Baiji Refinery Kills One, Injures Six<\/h2>\n
8. Focus on Iraqi Military Capabilities<\/h2>\n
9. Nouri al-Maliki Meets with Head of Supreme Judicial Council<\/h2>\n
10. Political Proposal to Extend PM Sudani’s Term for One Year<\/h2>\n